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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27755566">Red lipstick pink obsessions</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/DisappointingJuice/pseuds/DisappointingJuice'>DisappointingJuice</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Attempted Sexual Assault, Crossdressing, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Multiple Relationships, Shuichi is crossdressing and is not trans I want to make this clear, Tags will update as story continues, Violence, black mail, cafe setting, listen this story will be a trip, maybe smut, sorta pregame</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 21:19:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>15,978</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27755566</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/DisappointingJuice/pseuds/DisappointingJuice</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Shuichi Saihara has always been an outcast. Nobody even noticed him enough to bully. He kept his face hidden under a hat until he discovered danganronpa. After becoming obsessed with Kirigiri he became accustomed to cross dressing. After getting the job at a café and making a new friend this story follows his life, as each chapter represents a day ticking till it all goes off the rails.</p><p>ANOTHER WARNING: Shuichi is crossdressing and not trans, I know many people headcannon him as trans and I fully support that. Just in this story he is not trans, if you assume he is trans it will come off as insensitive. Thank you and please enjoy.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akamatsu Kaede/Saihara Shuichi, Akamatsu Kaede/Shirogane Tsumugi, Chabashira Tenko/Yumeno Himiko, Momota Kaito/Saihara Shuichi, Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi, Saihara Shuichi &amp; Shirogane Tsumugi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>87</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Vanilla swiss buttercream</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Large droplets of rain plopped onto Shuichi’s face. His bag clattered on to the ground as his things where strewn about getting soaked in the rain. He didn’t care that his face was in a puddle, he didn’t care that his stuff was ruined, he just sat there accepting his fate. Footsteps broke through the sound of rain then CrAcK!</p><p>-	-<br/>
Shuichi didn’t know exactly when it started. Well at least he remembered how, he could never forget. His fascination with Danganronpa led him to loving a specific character. Kiyoko Kirigiri. He was obsessed with her, he bought posters, figures, plushies, and even unofficial…fan works.  So, the next logical step was cosplay. It was only a click away for him to get what he wanted, a perfect Kirigiri outfit. It was going to cost a lot but he had just enough due to taking some shifts at the library. For now, all he had to do was wait for it to arrive.</p><p>His parents weren’t home when it arrived, they never were. His mom was an actor and his father a screenwriter, much more interested in their work. It didn’t matter to him, he got to live alone in a large house with all the necessities he desired. It would be the perfect place to bring friends over if he had any. Not that it mattered now, so he picked up the package and ran back up to his room. At first glance nobody would even realize this was part of the same house. Filled to the brim with posters, a monitor, mattress, and figures covering the shelves. Flicking on the light Shuichi put the package onto his bed carefully opening it with his favorite pocketknife. He didn’t regret getting it custom made once he placed his hand on the silky fabric. Trailing his finger down to the skirt he stopped feeling giddy just by being in possession of it. </p><p>Pulling off his shirt and pants he quickly got to work trying the cosplay on. Spinning around in front of the mirror he felt perfect! This is exactly how he wanted to look all the time. His smile grew as he rushed over to his wig. Having bought it previously to style he just had to place it on for the look to be complete. He turned around a bit noting he had to pick up some makeup in order to make it perfect but for now he was happy. </p><p>After that day, the moment he got home he’d slip into cosplay, it made him happy to just walk around in it. Yet the makeup and upkeep has been getting expensive so that led to today. He’d gotten turned down to a couple jobs already, so he decided he needed to take a different approach. As a last resort he clicked order on his cart. Already owning the rest of what he needed he spun around in his chair falling straight onto his mattress. Picking up his Monokuma plush he held it above his head before squishing it a few times “Let’s hope I have some good luck with this plan. It’s my last chance” </p><p>-	-<br/>
It didn’t take long to arrive, carefully he took out the bluish black wig and placed it down in order to style it. Running his brush through the long strands his smile came back. Humming a sweet song as he finished fixing up the wig, he checked the time knowing he had to go soon. He applied online for a job interview after all. Sliding on a black pleaded skirt, a white blouse, and dark grey stockings. He already passed as a girl. The wig and make up only sealed the deal. After getting everything on he ran his fingers across his lips with a small smile. He looked very timid, something he could easily play up as to be cute. He made sure he had everything before grabbing his bag, his Danganronpa themed keychains clanging together. Sliding down the stairs he slid on some dress shoes before heading outside. </p><p>It was sunny but not boiling. The perfect temperature to go on a walk. He started on his way to the Café, looking at his phone for directions as he walked forward. Letting out a small sigh before tripping over another person. He let out a yelp as he fell right on his butt, now just happy for wig glue and bobby pins. He looked up to who he ran into immediately recognizing them from school. If he could remember right her name was Kaede Akamatsu, they took a couple of classes together but never properly spoke. “s-sorry! I wasn’t paying attention are you hurt?” Shuichi spoke in his feminine voice that he mastered over his time of mimicking Kiyoko. Offering a hand to the blonde girl he gave a nervous smile. He prayed she wouldn’t recognize him. There was no reason why she would, it wasn’t like anyone knew he existed. The blonde girl took his hand with a smile “No no, it was my fault too. I wasn’t paying attention” her smile was bright but genuine. Shuichi believed it was the first time a girl genuinely smiled at him. He couldn’t help but return one before picking up his bag. Starting to walk again the blonde girl followed with a “wait a moment.”</p><p>Stopping Shuichi turned back to face her, a bit worried on what she wanted. “I haven’t seen you around here before and you seem cute so let’s walk together.” She gave another smile as Shuichi nodded in agreement. They stayed in silence for a bit before Kaede asked “So mystery girl, what should I call you?” Shuichi quickly said “Shuichi Saihara” before noticing what an idiot he was. His cover would be blown due to his masculine name, yet Kaede kept smiling. “wow that’s actually really pretty. I’m Kaede Akamatsu. It’s a pleasure to meet you!” Shuichi let out a giggle and mumbled “Likewise” as they continued walking.</p><p>“Hey Shuichi, are you new here? If so, what school are you going to go to?” Shuichi gripped onto his bag as he nodded “Y-yeah I moved in recently. I just started attending um what was its name?” He decided to play dumb and forget. It would sell the story better. Reaching into his bag he pulled out his phone and pointed to the address “I- um believe it is here” He gave a nervous smile after showing Kaede. Making sure to put his phone back into its proper place. Kaede’s eyes widened as she hugged onto Shuichi’s arm “Really I go there too! What classes do you have?” Shuichi let out a quiet giggle as he handed Kaede his schedule her excitement growing as she read over their similar classes. “Awesome! I’ll get to see you at school too, I can introduce you to my friends if you like.” Taking the schedule back Shuichi’s eyes widened “Y-you don’t have to Akamatsu-San, I’m not that interesting-“ He started playing with his hair, doing his best not to pull the wig down as he did so. Kaede shook her head and kept holding onto his arm “You’re new so you have no friends, I want to be your first friend here to make a good impression” Her smile stayed when she let go of his arm. Shuichi let go of his hair feeling extremely happy again “T-thank you Akamatsu-San. From the bottom of my heart” Kaede waved her hand dismissively as she quickly said “No no the pleasure is all mine, you got this shy but mature aura around you. It’s very appealing” He felt his face go slightly red before looking away and mumbling a quiet “Thank you”</p><p>The two exchanged numbers and parted ways once Shuichi got to the café. He already got the feeling this was a good idea, a bit of confidence washed over him as he stepped into the building. Walking up to the boy behind the counter Shuichi started messing with his hair before he started “e-excuse me? I’m here for my interview?” The boy had a slice of avocado toast in his hand resembling the green of his hair. The very first thing Shuichi wanted to say was cannibalism but knew that would be uncalled for. “Ah you probably signed up online, I’ll get yah to Tsumugi. Don’t worry we’re always empty at this time.” His laid-back attitude threw Shuichi off but he just watched as Rantaro placed his toast back onto his plate and cleaned his hands. Opening the door to the backroom he called out “Tsumugi I owe you five bucks!” Before ushering Shuichi into the back room. A girl with long blue hair poked her head out from behind some boxes before walking over to the two “I knew someone would respond to that add!” Rantaro rubbed the back of his neck as he chuckled “Yeah who would have guessed someone would actually come by from a post titled ‘cute girls who can serve? Come by to our café!’” Tsumugi adjusted her glasses before looking down at Shuichi. Her eyes widened as she quickly dismissed Rantaro and closed the door.</p><p>Shuichi felt as if he were about to get murdered by Tsumugi, the way she acted was off. She sat down at a small table in the corner of the room motioning for Shuichi to join her. Her smile widened and she excitedly blurted out “You’re hired!” Shuichi looked surprised as he stuttered “T-thank you but you did-“ Tsumugi placed a finger to his lips and shook her head. Barely being able to contain her excitement as she started up “Your voice even fits! Sounds a bit too much like Kiyoko’s but I’ll give you voice lessons.” Her hands clasped together as she mused “Oh your wig is even real I can’t believe it!” Shuichi looked down in shame as his real voice slipped through “o-oh is it that easy to tell?” Tsumugi grabbed onto Shuichi’s hands as she kept up her smile “Not at all! You need some work but as a fellow cosplayer I’m here to help!” She let go and twirled around in the room “It’s like a real-life fanfiction!” She stopped in place and crossed her arms “So you’re hired, you will easily draw in customers with your cute appearance. We’ll amplify your look a bit, fix up your voice, and you’ll be perfect” Shuichi looked scared, he felt so confident before but didn’t know what he got himself into. Tsumugi pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Shuichi “Come by tomorrow after closing, we’ll give you a rundown of the place, I’ll make you a uniform, and set your shifts.”</p><p>Shuichi carefully put the paper back into his bag with a small nod. Tsumugi waved him goodbye as she opened the door for him. Glancing back the avocado dude gave a thumbs up as Shuichi was promptly pushed out of the building. Standing in shock for a moment it hit Shuichi, even if this was weird the situation couldn’t be any better! He got a job and is going to get cosplay tips from Tsumugi! She seemed a bit weird but not a single fan of Danganronpa was completely normal. With a smile on his face he decided to go pick up some sweets to celebrate.</p><p>-	-<br/>
Opening his door, he placed the bag on the kitchen counter. Looking over at the calendar pinned next to the fridge he noted his parents wouldn’t drop by for around a week. Stepping up the stairs he slid open his door and picked up his Celestia body pillow. It was a time for celebration damn it, he was going to make it a little less lonely. Propping the pillow in the stool across from his, Shuichi proceeded to untie the bag to see a little white box. Pulling it out he opened it up to see a single slice of cake. Just as he was about to take a bite his phone buzzed. Figuring it was a fanfic update or a new comment on one of his blogs he turned on his phone only to see a text message.</p><p>???: Hey it’s me! Just wanted to make sure I got the right number and wasn’t played lol<br/>
???: Oh! It’s Kaede btw, I hope this is Shuichi^^</p><p>Shuichi stared in shock, the fact she messaged him made his heart pound in his chest. With shaky fingers he replied.</p><p>Shuichi: Hi! You got the right number; I didn’t expect you to actually text me.<br/>
Kaede: Even the way you text is cute! Alright I just wanted to check up on you, since you just started school here you should drop by early so we can go to our classes together!<br/>
Shuichi: Didn’t we only have three classes together? All in the afternoon?<br/>
Kaede: That’s not the point (`△´＃) anyways I asked a couple of my friends what classes they have and guess what?<br/>
Kaede: THEY HAVE ALMOST ALL THE SAME CLASSES AS YOU<br/>
Kaede: ヽ(o´∀`)ﾉ♪♬	</p><p>Shuichi couldn’t help but laugh at the use of emoticons. From what he saw Kaede seemed like the type of bubbly person who would use them though. He took a bite of his cake and started typing again.</p><p>Shuichi: Really? That’s a surprise. Are they nice?<br/>
Kaede: Mhm! Their name is Keebo! A bit of a robot nerd but super nice!<br/>
Shuichi: Is it really nice to call him a Robot nerd?<br/>
Kaede: Don’t worry about it Shuichi, he doesn’t mind to much. I’ve offered to let him call me piano freak in return<br/>
Shuichi: you play piano?<br/>
Kaede: It’s probably the only thing I’m good at lol<br/>
Kaede: It’s getting late so I’m gonna go to bed. See you!<br/>
Shuichi: Goodnight Akamatsu-San</p><p>By the time their conversation ended Shuichi noticed he finished his whole cake. After washing his plate and putting Celestia away. He stepped into the bathroom to clean himself up. Looking in the mirror he was pleased on how well his makeup and wig kept. Firstly, taking off the wig he placed it on a foam head gently brushing out any tangles so he didn’t have to do as much work tomorrow. He quickly picked some pajama’s and took out his fake top lashes. He was happy he didn’t have to put on fake bottom ones but still wanted to preserve his top for as long as possible. Hopping into the shower, he made sure to clean out any glue or sweat that got stuck in his hair along with the makeup. Now he was back to being the original Shuichi Saihara. After stepping out and getting dressed he gave himself a smile in the mirror. Yep the true him, the one who was doing all of this for one goal and one goal only. To fuel his obsession.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. 5 large egg whites</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>First day at school as the new him, new friends, new opportunities!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After smacking his alarm Shuichi rolled off the bed and onto the floor. He started to question if he really should go through with the plan. Waking up an hour earlier to get ready was hell. Standing up he brushed himself off and made his bed. Making sure his Celestia pillow and Nagito plush where in their place. He walked over to his closet and picked up a female uniform. He stole a spare one from the principal’s office. Plus, while snooping around he learned the extent he could alter to uniform. Deciding to opt for a long skirt instead of the normal ones. There was less of a chance of an accident.</p><p>Walking to his bathroom he started the process. He toned it down from his cosplay look, he didn’t want to dress up for the annoying people at school. He already had such feminine features he didn’t need to do much. He was sure with a bit of contour and fake lashes he’d pass as a girl. Yet he didn’t want to just pass, he wanted to sell the lie. So, he went through everything he had to do, primer, contour, eyes, lips, highlight. With that he looked exactly a like a girl, he probably didn’t even need the wig. Pushing away the thought he put on the wig cap with many bobby pins and glue to make sure it stayed in place all day. Once happy with everything he slid on the uniform ditching the vest like always. It was just itchy, and the teachers didn’t care. Instead he slid on his black jacket and hat. He looked just enough like himself to be comfortable. Giving one last smile in the mirror to check for lipstick in his teeth, he picked up his school bag and headed downstairs.</p><p>Checking the time, he still had thirty minutes till he had to get a move on. After throwing a pop tart in his mouth and starting some coffee, his eyes traveled back to the calendar. Five more days until he had to be sneaky about this. He didn’t know how his parents would react. He didn’t know them that well, but they were scheduled to arrive on Friday. Once every three months they’d drop by for a week to ‘spend quality time together’ it was bullshit. Even if his mother was a celebrity very few even knew about him. Even so their quality time together was just going to a fancy dinner, awkward conversation, making sure he was doing well in school, only for them to leave again. He despised it. He somewhat wished he still lived with his uncle. At least then he was genuinely happy, his uncle ran a detective agency and Shuichi liked to help. He was also surprisingly good! Yet his parents had a fight with his uncle and pulled him away from his friends, home, and people he loved. His uncle is still fighting to get him back but its been two years, he was graduating soon no need to fight now, instead he’ll just move back when he is done with school. He noticed he was staring angerly at a cup of coffee for god knows how long after snapping back into reality. At least now he had Danganronpa the games that kept him going, the series that kept him from ending it all. </p><p>After downing his coffee, he picked up his bag again. Sliding on his shoes he put on a smile. He was no longer Shuichi Saihara the freak, his goal was to become Shuichi Saihara the popular girl. People will fight to be friends with him. He’s pretty, he’s cute, and he knows damn well what he wants. He grabbed his bike and hopped on, being careful not to get his skirt caught he started on his way to school.</p><p>-	- <br/>He almost completely forgot about Kaede until his phone buzzed. </p><p>Kaede: Hey I just got here sry. I’m at the front with Keebo see you soon!<br/>Shuichi: I just got here too; I’ll be over soon.</p><p>Shuichi pulled out his phone to check his appearance. Nothing was to out of place, perfect. He locked his bike up and walked over to the front to try and spot Kaede. He noticed her with a boy? They had white spiky hair and a black hat to go with their uniform. Shuichi took a deep breath and walked up to the two, fixing his voice to be more feminine he wished he did vocal warmups beforehand “U-um hey Akamatsu-San” He gave a nervous smile as Kaede’s smile grew brighter “Shuichi! Good morning!” She gave a giant wave as the boy with white hair turned to Shuichi “Ah you’re Shuichi, right? I’m Keebo.” They gave a small smile as they offered their hand. Shuichi took it with a nod “s-so we have the same classes, right?” Keebo let go and pulled out his schedule “Kaede is good at memorizing papers so she told me your schedule.” He looked back down at his own “We have all but literature and electives together.” His eyes narrowed a bit before he looked back up at Shuichi “You don’t look like the type of person who would take drama.” Shuichi’s eyes widened a bit as he shook his head “N-no my mom made me take it. She um..claimed I was to emo and forced me to take drama.” He wasn’t lying, he just left out the main reason was his mother thought he could be good at it because she was. Of course, he wasn’t going to explain any more than needed. </p><p>Kaede seemed ecstatic “really! I’m the main pianist for the school! I’m excited to play for you when you’re on stage!” Shuichi started playing with his hair as he mumbled “I won’t get in large parts but…. I’ll try my best for you Akamatsu-San.” Kaede smiled and nodded “I have electives, science, and maths with you. So, you’re all alone for literature.” She looked over at Shuichi with a concerned look to make sure he would be okay. Shuichi let out a small giggle and nodded “Don’t worry about me, I’m sure I’ll make it through. It’s my third class after all so I’ll have you two before and after.” Kaede looked relieved that Shuichi was confident about this, giving a nod and a thumbs up. “Alright! We’ll see each other soon okay!” She gave a big wave again and ran off to meet up with a girl who had extremely long brown twin tales. Keebo spoke up to break the silence “It is in our best interest to head to class now” He held up a finger as he turned to walk away. Shuichi gave a nod as he gripped his bag. Hopefully this day would turn out fine.<br/>-	-<br/>The first two classes where extremely boring. Homeroom was a drag and he somehow made it through P.E. The whole time he felt as if he was about to be exposed causing him to hide in the bathroom instead of the changing room. He felt like a pervert being in the girl’s bathroom, but it wasn’t his fault. Plus, he made sure nobody was in the bathroom anyways, he wouldn’t go or leave if there was ever a girl in there with him. After fixing his wig and makeup he started onto his next class. Literature. Stepping into the classroom he quietly took his place. He had no one to talk to and planned to keep it that way for now. Pulling a water bottle out of his bag in order to keep his voice so feminine he was about to take a sip when. SLAM! Two hands where on his desk to see a very mean looking guy. Shuichi looked up water bottle still to his lips as whispers broke through the classroom. This guy had ridiculous hair, who even styles it up like that? It caught him off guard when his mean face turned into a smile “Hey, Do you believe in love at first sight—or should I walk by again?” The audacity of this guy to come to HIM with THAT cheesy of a line. Shuichi just took a sip of his water and started in his feminine voice again “Excuse me?</p><p>He could hear a conversation to the side “Is that Kaito Momota? He’s like the most popular guy here!” the other girl whispered back “Who even is that girl, you think she’s new?” “Of course she’s new, she didn’t even bat an eye when Kaito asked her out!” Shuichi blocked out the conversation as he looked back up at Kaito waiting for a response. “Sorry I thought that might work, I saw your bag and-“ His smile went to more of a normal look as he pulled out his phone. Shuichi was completely lost thinking this guy just wanted his number but instead. He saw a wallpaper showing Ibuki! Shuichi’s jaw almost dropped to the floor as he quickly picked up Kaito’s phone much to the others confusion. Typing in his number he handed it back again with a simple “Not interested.” Little did the on lookers know Shuichi wrote one simple message on Kaito’s phone. </p><p>“Meet me at lunch &lt;3”<br/>-	-<br/>The rest of the class was boring as ever. Picking up his bag he started walking to where he usually ate lunch only to realize Kaito was actually following him. His real voice came out for a split second, but he covered it up with fake stutters “I didn- I-I didn’t e-expect you to actually come.”  “And ignore the beautiful girl who loves the same thing as me?” Shuichi let out a sigh, he was the flirty type great. Rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly Kaito started up again “I’m Kaito Momota, and you are-“ “Shuichi Saihara” He quickly cut Kaito off before opening the door. “You’re new right? You seem to know this place well.” Shuichi gave an oh shit smile and started stuttering again “Y-you think so? I-I just got a tour by Akamatsu-San” Kaito seemed to grow even happier with that “Yo! You’re friends with Kaede too? Sweet! We should all hang out sometime.” Shuichi gave a small nod to avoid being suspicious as he walked over to the grassy field.</p><p>Making sure to keep his legs closed the whole time Shuichi sat down and opened his bag. Not even batting an eye when Kaito sat down with him. He was happy he found another Danganronpa fan but was worried that he would scare off Kaito with his obsession to it. He was a few steps over the line of obsession already. He pulled out his food and looked over as Kaito hungerly stared at it. “Did you not bring your own?” Kaito sighed and leaned back onto the grass “Nah, Maki roll usually brings me lunch too.” Shuichi raised an eyebrow, a girl. Or a cat, it sounds like the name of a cat but he went with girl. Kaito laughed a bit “she’s like a little sister to me but she was busy with student council dutys today.” Shuichi shook his head and offered half of his lunch figuring he would just get some food after work. </p><p>Kaito graciously took the food with a bunch “thank you’s. Shuichi couldn’t help but smile a bit as Kaito happily dug into his cooking. After taking a bite of his own food he started off the conversation “So do you like one or two?” Kaito swallowed and thought about it for a moment “I like two, Ibuki and Akane are my favorites!” Shuichi smiled a bit bigger “Really! It’s hard to find people who like Akane too. I think her character arc was really well done! Although they could have shown her backstory a bit more outside of her free time events.” Kaito nodded “Yeah! People always point to her being a glutton, but she has a reason for it!” Shuichi’s smile was large but he kept his full fangirl inside for now. Kaito quickly asked what his favorite game was. Shuichi thought about it for a moment before saying “I have to chose one, even if two is a bit more polished.” He covered his mouth to hide his steadily growing creepy grin. He wasn’t going to break character yet. With a sigh he let his hand slid back down as he picked up again “I love Kiyoko and Celestia. You also can’t beat the original Junko Enoshima” He did a Junko pose before letting out a giggle. </p><p>-	-<br/>After his delightful lunch with Kaito, Shuichi returned to Kaede and Keebo for his last classes. Nothing much happened again and before he knew it, it was the end of the day. Standing up from his seat Kaede walked up to him “Hey Shuichi need a ride? Keebo said they would take you too if you want.” Shuichi was a bit surprised by this but shook his head. “n-no thank you, I rode my bike and have to go to work still.” Kaede smiled brightly again “Oh yeah! You got the job then! Good job Shuichi! Maybe I’ll swing by another day to visit you!” she waved goodbye before running up to Keebo who was currently talking to the brown twin tailed girl and a blonde girl who apparently didn’t know how to button her shirt.  After staring for probably to long Shuichi picked his bag back up and headed out. He bid farewell to Kaito who he passed while he unlocked his bike. Slipping back on he started off to the café like Tsumugi said, they were closed around this time. </p><p>He locked up his bike again and stepped inside to be greeted by the same avocado guy from yesterday.  “Hey, I thought for sure Tsumugi scared you off yesterday. What’s up?” Shuichi gave a small wave gave with a shy “I-I’m fine, she said to come by when the Café closed for a rundown and Uniforms.” Something seemed to hit Rantaro as he held out his finger “Watchout” Shuichi blinked a few times “e-excuse me?” Rantaro simply repeated “watch out” as Shuichi’s  grip on his bag grew tighter. “P-please I have anxiety watch out for what.” He pointed over to Tsumugi when she pounced Shuichi. “You came! I already guessed your measurements for your uniform! EEEEEE! We’re finally getting a cute waitress.” Rantaro’s warning now made since as he was dragged into hell. Also known as the backroom.</p><p>-	-<br/>Tsumugi didn’t even leave the room when he was forced to put on his new outfit. It fit way to well for just being a guess at his size but was well made. “So, I already guessed you like Kiyoko due to yout voice so I based it off her Danganronpa 3 degin along with my own flair!” Shuichi finished buttoning up the shirt as he mumbled “You could have at least left the room.” Tsumugi ignored him and walked up fixing his wig up. “Wait one last piece hold on!” She ran over to one of the many boxes and started sifting around for something. After grabbing some ribbon, she sat Shuichi down and started to do his hair into two braids. “What color is your real hair? This wig looks a bit darker than my hair color” Shuichi was a bit surprised by the sudden question as he mumbled “My hair is close to the same shade.” Tsumugi nodded pleased with the answer as she looked over his outfit.</p><p>Pulling him out of the backroom Rantaro looked between the two soon saying “Hey, Shuichi since Tsumugi won’t tell you there is no uniform policy.” Tsumugi puffed out her cheeks and gave a playful punch to Rantaro’s arm “Don’t tell them that after I stayed up all night to get it done!” Rantaro let out a nervous laugh with a “Yeah yeah, still she might wonder why neither of us are in uniform.” Shuichi cleared his throat before asking “So does anyone else work here? I can’t be the only waiter” Rantaro shook his head “Nah we have our manager.” Shuichi looked a bit surprised “I’m sorry I assume-“ “Tsumugi is the manager? Yeah she pretty much is, Kirumi has a bunch of different jobs so she’s never here. I’ve worked here for two years and have seen her once.” Shuichi gave a small nod and started messing with his hair.</p><p>Tsumugi held up her finger “But you will still go to me for anything troubling you with work because I run the place, you’ll go to Rantaro for food and he’ll help you run the cashier when it gets busy!” Shuichi thought about it for a moment before giving a sweet smile “I can handle that. You said we’d discuss shifts, today right?” Tsumugi gave a bright smile before skipping over to a small whiteboard “you’re still in school, right?” Her finger ran down the schedule “Come in every Monday, Thursday, and the weekend. Your shift will start at three, nothing happens much so we usually just hang out.” She pushed her glasses up as Rantaro took over “The weekend is the real deal, you’ll come in at seven in the morning just to prepare.” They struck a pose together as Tsumugi continued on “They will come in hordes like the Zerg but WE WILL SUPLLY COFFE AND A CUTE GIRL!” The two went back to standing normally as Tsumugi smiled brightly again “We won’t have to worry about giving you cooking training or anything, just be nice to the customers and shadow Rantaro for the first few days!” Shuichi gave a nervous nod, these two could flip from cheerful to menacing within seconds. Wondering if he would even be able to make it through the weekend, he picked up his bag and bid farewell. Heading home it was the end of another day. Little did he know what tomorrow had in store would change his life forever.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Got excited and wrote another chapter! I don't know if I'll write anymore before I create a schedule due to Midterms but we shall see.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. 4 sticks of butter</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Shuichi finds himself in a troublesome situation only for someone surprising to save him.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 3<br/>The day started exactly like every other. Shuichi got up only to completely hide himself under a lair of makeup. He picked up a cup of coffee and found himself at school without even thinking. He adjusted his hat and started walking only to let out a yelp as Kaede gripped onto his arm. “Saihara-Chan! I have a big favor to ask you!” She seemed excited as she let go. Shuichi cleared his throat and gave a sweet smile “O-oh? What is it Akamatsu-San?”  She clasped her hands as she pleaded “A few of my friends and I are failing some subjects. You seem really smart could you come help tutor us? Maki is going to kill us if we don’t pass this math test.” Shuichi blinked a few times. This? This was what she was so worried about “H-huh? Yeah…I can help you with your homework, when do you want to meet up?” Akamatsu hugged onto Shuichi tightly causing him to give a small blush. “Thank you so much Shuichi! Can we start tonight!” Shuichi thought about it for a moment before taking out a small note pad from his jacket.</p><p>Writing down his address he gave it to Kaede “My parents are never in town so, feel free to swing by. There is a limit of three people you can bring with you I don’t want a party.” Kaede’s jaw dropped as she shook her head “No, we can go to my place if you want I don’t…” She gave Shuichi a tight hug with a “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I owe it to you really!” Shuichi let out a giggle and removed Kaede from himself “I’ll see you afterschool okay? Let’s meet near the gate!” He gave Kaede a wave before heading off with Keebo to his first class of the day. </p><p>-	-  <br/>It was… boring. He planned to meet Kaito for lunch again but Kaito got dragged away to go help some girl with some problem. Shuichi didn’t care to listen to what it was, she was obviously trying to get Kaito’s attention and somehow the goob didn’t realize how much she was hitting on him. Shuichi leaned on a wall next to the dumpsters taking a sip of orange juice, it was too hot to sit in his normal spot today. He didn’t want to overheat in his wig and makeup. Leaning on his hand as he chewed the straw a group of kids started walking over to him. A tang of fear sank into his gut as they looked like they wanted something. He leaned forward a bit so he could continue walking as one of the boys placed a hand on the wall trapping Shuichi.</p><p>His eyes widened as he knew exactly where this was going. There wasn’t a single point where this situation could end well. The guy leaned in with a smirk, his breath reeked of tobacco “Look what we got here, this one is a cutie.” His free hand trailed down Shuichi’s cheek as Shuichi stared wide eyed. “She’s got that traditional vibe don’t yah agree, I bet she can take good care of us.” Shuichi was about to talk as the crowd erupted into laughter. Another spoke up “Listen girl, you’re on our turf, we’ll be gentle on you this time. You’re new and obviously cute.” Shuichi simply looked away only for his face to be pulled to look at the bully.</p><p>“Look at your betters when they’re talking to you bitch!” He spat on her face causing Shuichi to feel weak. His eyes started to well up into tears as the other boy ran his hand through her wig. “My look at this, her hair is even silky soft! You clearly take good care of it.” Shuichi thanked god that they were stupid enough to not be able to tell it was a wig, but the next point made him start shaking in fear. “Either you help our group out like the nice traditional lady you are or-“He yanked on the wig causing Shuichi to hold it in place happy that he got it in time and it didn’t look suspicious. “We’re going to take what we want forcefully and cut off your lovely locks.” Shuichi wiped off the spit as the group erupted into laughter. He was about to ask what the hell they even wanted him to do when.</p><p>“Back off!” The voice was stuttery as the group turned to look at a small boy. He had to have just started high school with his stature. Purple messy hair framed his face along with a white plaster on his cheek. The group erupted into laughter again as the main bully let go of Shuichi’s hair “Can’t you see I’m clearly having a fun time with my girlfriend? Screw off shrimp go jack off to something else!” Shuichi wanted to vomit when he heard the term girlfriend come from this assholes mouth. Yet to his surprise the smaller boy didn’t backdown “Wow you guys are lame then.” He was clearly putting on an act it was pathetic “Even if she was your girlfriend domestic violence is not okay.” He looked at his hand as the Main guy yelled “What you got a thing for her? Fuck off” The boy was about to respond when the guy leaned into kiss Shuichi.</p><p>Sucking in his pride Shuichi put on his best girls voice as he screeched “Help me please! Get me away! Stop! No means no!”  As he put his hands up to cower in fear from the taller bully. Angered, the bully raised Shuichi up by his shirt, preparing to sock him right in the mouth. Preparing for impact Shuichi was confused when instead of getting punched he heard the smaller boy again. Looking over apparently the smaller boy threw a rock at the bully’s head “I said let go of her.” Shuichi was thrown to his knees crashing right into the dumpsters as the bully walked over to the smaller boy. </p><p>Shuichi reached out a hand as he yelled “Run! Save yourself!” but it was no use. All he could do was watch as the three bullies hammered into the poor boy. By the time they were over he looked like a bloodied pulp. One of them scoffed and glared at Shuichi “This won’t be the last time; nobody ever gets away without paying.” The moment all three of them where far enough away Shuichi ran over to the smaller boy attempting to pick him up.</p><p>The smaller boy laughed when he wiped his mouth “Don’t worry about it, this is nothing.” He winced when Shuichi finally got the boy in his arms “it doesn’t even hurt.” Shuichi gave a soft smile and a quiet “Thank you.” As he started walking over to the nurse’s office. He was going to be fine, only some bruising and wobbly legs for a bit. His fear was more for the small boy who saved him. They finally made it to the office with a few odd looks as they passed through the halls. Shuichi rushed over to the nurse who quickly took the smaller boy to go fix him up. Another nurse pulled Shuichi to the side to question about everything that happened. </p><p>-	- <br/>“We’ll try and give a talking to those boys; this is the worst they’ve ever done to poor Kokichi- “The nurse looked genuinely saddened as Shuichi tilted his head. “Is that his name? “The nurse now just looked shocked “That’s even more out of character for him, he never hangs out with anyone other than that Akamatsu girl and the Robotics kid…. Excuse me sweetheart what was your name again? I need to log that you are here.” Shuichi started to act a bit more nervously “a-ah it’s Shuichi Saihara mam-“The nurse nodded and simply wrote Shuichi’s name down instead of bringing him up in the database. How lucky.</p><p>“I suggest you head off to class, you’re excused from the two you’ve already missed.” Shuichi quickly asked, “But what about Kokichi will he be okay?” The nurse nodded with a soft smile “He is just resting now; he’ll be sent home by the end of the day.” Shuichi nodded with a “Thank you mam” before rushing off to go to his last class. He only caught the last bit of a sentence as the nurse claimed, “What a polite girl, you’re lucky she was the one to save you this time.” Followed by the nervous giggles of Kokichi.</p><p>-	-<br/>He made it into class a bit late, giving a small wave to his friends as they turned to look at him for answers. The teacher spoke up “Shuichi Saihara I presume? Very well, take your seat you’re excused.” Shuichi quickly rushed to the only open seat left. The class was as usual dull, but it quickly washed away when Kaede ran up to him. “What happened you didn’t get hurt right!?!” Keebo crossed his arms “It appears she has not sustained any injuries, but you should not make a habit of missing class.” Shuichi let out a small giggle as he grabbed his bag. “I-I’m okay…just got caught up in something. I’ll explain it after school,” Kaede gave a nod and stayed next to Shuichi “I already gave everyone the instructions, we’ll meet at the front gate okay?” Keebo looked a bit lost before an “Ah! You’re passing the burden of your bad study habits onto Shuichi now that Maki is busy.” Kaede quickly shushed Keebo “Come on you make me look bad.” Keebo quickly covered his mouth with a “sorry! I’m going to head home; I’m still dropping Maki off today.” He gave a small wave and walked off. Leaving just Shuichi and Kaede to start on their way to the front gate.</p><p>“Before anything are you sure you’re fine with us coming over?” Kaede had concern in her eyes but it quickly faded when Shuichi gave a smile and a nod. “don’t worry it’s large enough for us to work comfortably” Kaede gave a bright smile “well then! I’ll pay for food tonight as a thank you!” They walked up to the front gate to see two people waiting for them. There was a boy wearing a face mask, talking about something with a girl with two twin tails? Giving a large wave Kaede ran over to them “Kiyo! Tenko I’m glad you made it!” She had a bright smile on her face as Tenko swung her leg in the air only for Korekyio to step aside. “Oh, thank goodness you didn’t bring another degenerate male- “She glared over at Korekyio before happily skipping over to Shuichi. Kaede could be heard with a quiet “Don’t be mean to him, he’s the only reason we’re passing history” Tenko ignored Kaede as she offered a hand to Shuichi “Hi! I’m Tenko Chabashira you’re super cute but need more fight in your spirit!” She gave Shuichi a playful punch on the shoulder as Shuichi started up “Um..Hi I’m Shuichi Saihara” Korekyio leaned over to see Shuichi letting out the sound of an odd teakettle “What an interesting name, you must be hiding some secrets within it-“ Shuichi let out a  nervous “umm…”</p><p>Korekyio now behind Shuichi trailed a hand down his face as he whispered “just like a fox” still shaken up from earlier Shuichi let out a quite whimper. Luckily Tenko flew out of the air to kick Korekyio in the face, grinding her foot into his face as she yelled “How dare you touch such a delicate flower! You hear me! Apologies to Saihara now!” Shuichi moved over to Kaede who looked like she was going to snap. Shuichi let out a sigh “How many are left?” Kaede looked a bit confused before letting out an “Oh! Only one left, he’s one of Keebo’s friends. He is super shy though so he may not contribute- ““Um…Kaede?” Shuichi looked over at who said that as his eyes widened. “Kokichi!” Tenko let out a groan “Seriously Kaede you invited him. Along with this freak.” Shuichi was positive Korekyio was enjoying getting stepped on due to him not making any effort to get away.</p><p>Before Kaede or Tenko could question anything, Shuichi caught himself taking Kokichi’s hands into his own. His voice cracked a bit, the screech he had to do earlier was weighing down on his fake voice. He’d just have to make something for it when they got to his house. “Thank you, thank you so much for earlier. I was so scared…. you’re not too hurt right?” He played up his fear a little bit was genuinely fearing for that moment. “I owe you so much...thank yo-“Kokichi removed his hands from Shuichi’                                                                 and looked down. “w-well it was n-nothing.” Shuichi blinked a few times, so he had. He knew earlier was a terrible act of confidence but what a turn. He somewhat wanted to protect this boy but not in a creepy way…more platonically.</p><p>Tenko leaned over to Kaede “Do they know each other?” Kaede shrugged with an “apparently.” Shuichi’s face went a bit red once he realized what they were thinking. Quickly turning around, he waved his arms “N-no it’s nothing like that Akamatsu-san. He just saved me from some bullies earlier…” Shuichi started playing with his hair as he explained. Kaede looked even more confused “you sure you got the right guy?” Shuichi nodded a bit confused about what Kaede was talking about. Kaede shrugged with an “okay then, well let’s go before they kick us out! Lead the way Shuichi!” Shuichi gave a smile “Yeah let me grab my bike first.” Once Shuichi left the group the two girls immediately looked down at Kokichi. Tenko’s was one of rage and Kaede just wanted an explanation. “So, spill it, did you touch Saihara in any weird gross way?” Kokichi’s eyes widen as he quickly shook his head “n-no..it was the--“Kaede crossed her arms as she stated “Listen Kokichi, you’re a good friend but Shuichi seems a bit…. how should I put this fragile?” Tenko nodded “Like a flower!” Kokichi let out an exasperated sigh “Jeeze…I just met her today. So, you two should stop being overprotective lesbians. Especially since Saihara seems to like me!” Tenko was about to punch him causing Kokichi to quickly lose his cockiness. “I-I’m sorry please don’t hurt m-me- “Tenko’s hand fell back to her side right as Shuichi came back. “Sorry about the wait, a teacher stopped me to ask something.”</p><p>-	- <br/>Shuichi started getting a bit self-conscious once they went into his neighborhood. The group was definitely judging him when they noticed where they were. Continuing to walk his bike he was glad there wasn’t many pictures or anything in his house. Downstairs was just a normal area, so he’d just ask for them not to go into his room. He didn’t want to explain his obsession now and was positive they could see some…. incriminating evidence. Shuichi tucked a strand of hair behind his ear as he opened the door, placing the bike in the front entrance. “S-sorry…I haven’t had much time to clean- “ </p><p>Kaede’s eyes widened a bit “Shuichi! You didn’t tell us you where rich! What the hell, I expected a house not a mansion.” She quickly took off her shoes and spun around a bit as she walked inside. The other three still taking off their shoes before entering. Shuichi placed his bag on the coat rack and gave a small smile “I’m going to get changed into something more comfortable first so um…” He didn’t know exactly what to do. “Make yourselves at home, you can choose whether we should do this in the Kitchen, dining room, or living room.” He brought up his arm as a small cough came through. “s-sorry, I used my voice to much today. I’ll go over rules when I get back” He gave a small smile before briskly making his way upstairs. </p><p>Korekyio calmly took out their homework and laid it on the living room table before taking a seat on the couch. Tenko ran around with Kaede, checking everything out to a reasonable extent. Neither have been in a house this fancy before and where clearly excited. Kokichi however felt a bit overwhelmed opting to just stand in the doorway not feeling comfortable enough to look around without Shuichi there. Shuichi was already in his room going through his pile of casual clothes opting for just a turtleneck and skirt. Going into his bathroom he made sure to chug some water in order to alleviate some of his voice. Locking the door and double checking it was locked. He started to fix himself up. Starting by taking off his wig with a sigh in relief. Putting on his new clothes, washing off his makeup, putting a bit of new makeup on just to sell the look and regrettably putting his wig back on. He looked casual enough especially for taking only ten minutes for all of that. Placing his hat back on he stepped downstairs to go meet up with the rest of the group. He was a bit sad he had to put the wig back on, although he liked the look it was heavy and hot. Maybe later on he could ditch it and claim he got a haircut.</p><p>Taking his place across from Korekyio he gave Kokichi a soft smile and patted to the spot next to him. The smaller boy hesitantly joined as Tenko and Kaede finally made their way back to the group. Shuichi thought about it for a moment before asking “Okay, if Kiyo is here for history and languages, I’ll take the maths and sciences.” Pulling out his own work he looked around “There is three of you so…I suppose you can come to either of us if you need anything?” Shuichi glanced back at Korekyio to make sure this plan sounded good. Korekyio let out a laugh as he picked up a fancy pen from his bag “Of course, what fine leadership skills. Just don’t almost stab Kaede like Maki did once” Shuichi decided he wasn’t even going to ask. With that they got started on their work…. he was not prepared to have his work cut out for him.<br/>-	-<br/>“Okay then you carry the 5 here.” Shuichi trailed his pencil over as he explained to Kaede and Kokichi. Taking a bite of his salad every time, he got a break. Kaede ordered food for everyone like she promised but at this point Shuichi started to understand why Maki almost stabbed her. She was a bit ditzy but at least smart. Kokichi was smart enough but seemed to keep second guessing himself even if he didn’t show it. Tenko and Korekyio where doing their own thing with whatever lecture he was giving the incredibly bored looking Tenko. Shuichi was surprised on how much knowledge he actually had. When he finally finished helping Kaede and Kokichi with their math homework he quickly filled out his own. Kaede held onto his arm with a bright smile “thank you so much! I owe you a ton!” Shuichi let out a quiet laugh “N-no problem just remember this okay?” Kaede responded with an “mhm!” before taking a bite into her sandwich.</p><p>She apparently knew a guy at whatever café she ordered this stuff from and even if it was just whatever they had left it was surprisingly good. Plus, she got it for really cheap. Closing his textbook, he let out a sigh before noticing a nervous Kokichi tugging on his shirt. “S-sorry Saihara but um…can you please direct me to the bathroom? Giving a small nod Shuichi pointed to the stairs “Yeah, two rooms down on the left. Just don’t go snooping or anything most of those rooms are my parents.” It wasn’t much but that was the most discreet way to ask him to please not open any of the doors. Kokichi got up and went up the stairs. Kaeded laid her head in Shuichi’s lap with a sigh. “I’m tired and it’s only Tuesday- “Shuichi’s face went a bit red from nervousness as Kaede laid there. “W-well it is getting late so- “Tenko quickly stood up “Yep it’s late and I don’t want to be in your hair for too long Saihara.” She grabbed her stuff clearly in a way to just leave Korekyio. Korekyio let out a sigh and grabbed his bag  “It was a pleasure to be here Saihara, I wish to learn your secrets but…I should go home to my sister.” With that he swung his bag over his shoulder a quiet “farewell” could be heard under Tenko’s enthusiastic “Bye! I’ll see you guys next time!”</p><p>Once the two left Kaede sat up again fixing her hair a bit. “Yeah, this was nice, I’ll help out with the cleanup but thanks Shuichi” Shuichi waved his hand with a small smile “it’s no problem it’s not like anyone else lives here.” Standing up he brushed his skirt off before taking the paper plates and package’s. Throwing them away in the trash. Kaede straightened up the couch and table making sure everything was the way it was before they left. As for Kokichi, on his way to the bathroom he looked between the two doors. Not being able to remember if it was the right or left door, he was supposed to go into he took a deep breath and chose right. Right is always right after all. Except this time instead of seeing a bathroom he saw a bedroom. His eyes trailed the room for a moment before it hit him, this was Shuichi’s room and…. she liked danganronpa? Quickly closing the door, he figured she was a fan earlier, after all her bag had a couple pins and keychains but that was a lot. Tiptoeing into the proper bathroom he did his thing trying to decide if he should confront Shuichi.</p><p>Once Kaede and Shuichi finished up their cleaning the two said their goodbyes and parted ways. Kaede was at the door right as Kokichi came down. “W-wait Kaede, I almost forgot.” He quickly ran over to his bag and pulled out some sort of container. Handing it over to Kaede who seemed almost ecstatic to have it “Thanks! I’ll return this back when I’m done! See you guys at school okay?” Shuichi nodded and gave a wave to Kaede as she left. Leaving just Kokichi and Shuichi…alone in this house.</p><p>Worried he was going to make the wrong move he decided to come clean “S-so I accidently opened the door to your room- “Shuichi’s eyes widened as he quickly said “I-it’s not what it looks- “Kokichi turned around with his arms behind his head “Nah, just noticed your Kirigiri keychain. Celestia is my favorite, always been jealous of the way she could lie.” Shuichi could tell…. Kokichi needed to work on his lies a bit after all the one he just told was obvious. Yet he was happy the conversation wasn’t about everything else in his room. Shuichi held onto his arm as he shyly admitted “a-ah…I’ve always had a crush on Celestia. Kiyoko is my favorite, so I ended up shipping them.” Kokichi’s eyes widened as a smile came to his face “really? Same for me! I think Kiyoko is pretty, not my type but not many get that privilege.” Shuichi sat down on the couch and let his head rest on his hands. “you’re different when like this, I thought earlier had to just be an act.”</p><p>Kokichi froze when Shuichi brought that up, shaking his head he gave a nervous smile. “N-no…I just didn’t want those bullies to do such awful things to you- “He let his arm fall back to his side “You should tell Kaede the whole story, they’re going to come after both of us now and I’m sure we both have our secrets. I can tell due to how Kiyo acted when he first met you.” Shuichi looked a bit nervous as he looked down “A-ah you saw that….” Kokichi gave an awkward nod before walking over to the door to put on his shoes and grab his bag. “Wait! Kokichi- “Shuichi quickly stood up almost tripping. Handing his phone over he looked a bit nervous “C-can I have your number?” Kokichi was a bit surprised but decided to comply. Typing in his own number he paused for a bit “You talk to Kaito? Huh…I always thought he seemed like a jerk. Hopefully, you didn’t just give him your number out of pity.” Shuichi rolled his eyes and pocketed his phone. “He’s really nice…a bit of a flirt though.”</p><p>Kokichi shrugged and turned around to leave “See you tomorrow Saihara!” With that he pulled a hat out of his bag, putting it on with a flourish. Shuichi opened the door for the smaller boy, slowly closing it once Kokichi left. Closing the door and locking it, Shuichi immediately took off his wig and laid it on the table. He’d take care of it tomorrow, as for now he planned to just pass out for the night.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Another chapter down! This one was surprisingly long.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Oh dear, the secret has been outed already? Maybe with some help, Shuichi can still achieve his dream</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Leaning his bike against the wall to lock it, Shuichi realized he didn't even remember going to school. Checking in the camera of his phone he made sure he actually got dressed properly and this wasn't just some nightmare. Rubbing a bit of lipstick off of his teeth he looked like he did these past few days. After locking up his bike he turned around to come face to face with one of the bullies from yesterday. They jabbed a finger into his chest as they spat "thanks to you and your shrimp dick boyfriend-" Shuichi's eyes narrowed "he's not my boyfriend so not even I know what his dick looks like-" he let out a squeal and covered his face once they punched him right in the eye. "listen here bitch, you have till Monday to take up my offer" they shoved a piece of paper into Shuichi's hands. Only to hear "jeeze come off, her boobs aren't even that big." Glancing over, Shuichi saw Kaito along with the girl who didn't even know how to close her shirt properly.</p>
<p>Kaito promptly picked up Shuichi and started to walk away as the girl chewed into the bully. "Like seriously! I'm your side hoe you can't replace me with a worse side hoe!" The girl seemed genuinely pissed off only for the guy to yell "Oh come off it, we all know the reason you stopped fucking us was because you got it for that robotics nerd. You aren't even smart you have no chance with him."</p>
<p>Shuichi buried his face into Kaito's chest as Kaito started walking faster to avoid the fight that was going to go down. Placing Shuichi down next to the front steps Kaito raised an eyebrow. "I need an explanation. Kokichi out of all people came to me mentioning you got into the wrong people. Only for me to find you with a guy getting all handsy on you?" Shuichi looked down in shame as he uncurled the paper stuffed in his hands. "K-kaito.... I’m scared"</p>
<p>Kaito crouched down next to Shuichi and placed an arm on his shoulder. "hey, it's going to be okay. Miu is going to put a stop to them but you should have told me yesterday. I'll sock one of them in the face if they try to touch you." Shuichi only nodded as he stared into the paper. It was a photo of him from last year's yearbook along with "we know your dirty secret, pervert. You're going to do exactly what we ask or the whole school will know." Followed by a phone number. Shuichi wanted to rip the paper apart and pretend this wasn't real.</p>
<p>Kaito stopped once he noticed Shuichi was crying. "hey, it's not that bad." Kaito looked around for a moment before wrapping his arms around Shuichi. Making Shuichi crumple the paper back up "t-they're going to tell everyone; I can't afford this to go so soon-" Kaito glanced down at the paper figuring it was some sort of secret he didn't push. Instead, he kept his arm around Shuichi, rubbing their back to comfort them.</p>
<p>Shuichi was still crying by the time Kaede ran up to him. "Kaito what the hell happened! How do you even know Shuichi! If you made her cry so help me!" Before Kaito could even answer Shuichi wiped his face and tipped his hat over his eyes. "I-it's okay Akamatsu.... just some people tried to pick a fight with me-" Kaito quickly stood up "no it's not just someone picking a fight with you. Those guys are bad company" Kaede rolled her eyes "says the delinquent who only tries to get in girl’s pants. No wonder why Maki and you had a falling out!" Kaito gripped his fist tightly in order to avoid punching Kaede in front of Shuichi. “we just went different paths” Kaede scoffed as she pointed at Kaito “Shuichi is a very soft girl, maybe before you make any more moves you should tell her how you-“Shuichi couldn’t deal with this anymore, glaring at the two as he stood up “Enough!” both Kaito and Kaede weren’t expecting such a commanding tone coming from the quiet girl. </p>
<p>Shuichi pulled his hat over his eyes and mumbled "I’m going to go cover this black eye. You two sort whatever you have out, I'm going to go find Kokichi" he stumbled a bit as he walked away. The paper in his hand now stuffed in his bag. This day could only go up from here.</p>
<p>Once he flicked his hat up and looked in the bathroom mirror, he realized he looked terrible. Maybe he should just go into hiding....no they knew who he was. He started fixing himself up, the reason he had such a big bag was so he could carry all his cosplay supplies along with his school stuff. He let out a hiss as his hand ran over his eye, that was going to stay for a while. He'd have to cover it up tomorrow but he didn't prepare for any of this today.</p>
<p>Trying to avoid crying again Shuichi brushed his hand through his wig and stepped out of the bathroom. Only to meet eyes with Kokichi who was leaning on the wall across from the bathroom. They stayed quiet for a solid minute before Kokichi broke the silence. "yikes, they hit you hard. Did Momota not get there in time?" Shuichi let out a sigh "no he got there just in time....thank you Kokichi." Kokichi gave a bright smile before walking up to Shuichi. "hey hey, you look like your boyfriend dumped you. We should skip school today and go have fun!" Shuichi made a face as he quickly shot "excuse me!" Kokichi rolled his eyes "not that type of fun, jeeze get your mind out of the gutter. I mean we skip school and go do something you enjoy away from those guys." Shuichi considered the offer for a bit, missing one day of school wouldn't hurt him too bad, would it? Finally making the decision Shuichi nodded in response. Following Kokichi as they walked out of the school.</p>
<p>- -</p>
<p>When they finally made it off the school grounds Shuichi looked down at Kokichi when he stopped right in his tracks. "Soooooo what do you want to do first?" Shuichi was about to snap get out of this godforsaken wig but held his tongue. The wig cap ended up moving and was now extremely itchy. Letting out a sigh he looked over at his bike, unlocking it and starting to walk it back to his house. "I want to get out of this uniform and wash it...you can come with me it won't take long."</p>
<p>Their conversation was stale as they made their way back to Shuichi's house. "I'm gonna go get dressed and then when I'm done, we can hang out in my room for a bit." Kokichi looked a bit surprised as he stepped in "I thought you didn't want anyone to-" Shuichi smiled softly and took off his hat "it's okay Kokichi, you don't have to be so nervous around me"</p>
<p>Shuichi gave a wave as he made his way upstairs. Almost collapsing on his bed when he got into his room. It was only 9:00 am and he already wanted to go back to sleep. He made sure to cover up anything that would be incriminating and throw it into the closet before grabbing something casual. He didn't even care if it matched at this point. He fixed his wig and called down to Kokichi "kay you can come up now!" Before stepping into his bathroom and grabbing the makeup bag hidden under the sink. His hands started trembling as he closed the door and pulled off his wig. He felt absolute dread wash over him as he looked into the mirror. Within seconds he started sobbing. Turning on the shower, he just sat down in it to hopefully hide how loudly he was crying. </p>
<p>Kokichi was standing awkwardly in the entrance hall. Placing his shoes next to Shuichi he paused as he saw a small paper. Picking it up he didn’t realize something fell out onto the floor as he opened it up. Glancing over the note Kokichi let out a sigh, not having context it looked just like an empty threat. So, he just placed it back where he found it once he heard Shuichi call out to him</p>
<p>-	-<br/>Sitting down on Shuichi’s bed, Kokichi just scrolled through his phone waiting for Shuichi to stop crying in the shower. “man, she is really bad at hiding things…” but Kokichi didn’t really blame her. From what he knew, this was Shuichi’s first week at school and she already got into trouble with his bullies. He was a bit surprised to see Shuichi in something so casual, and where those lose boxers? He didn’t think twice about it, but Shuichi’s eye clearly wasn’t good. “Hey…come here-“Kokichi’s voice was surprisingly soft so Shuichi complied, holding his knees close to his chest as he sat down on his bed. “I just wanted to be pretty and popular for once- “He let out another sniffle as Kokichi wrapped his arms around Shuichi. “you may not believe me, but I might be able to get you, your dream. Though my question is do you trust a liar like me?” His voice was so soft, and his hug was warm. Kokichi has been nothing but kind to Shuichi so…. he gave a small nod in response prompting Kokichi to whisper his plan in the others ear.</p>
<p>The day went normally after that, with a new sense of purpose Shuichi decided to trust kokichi’s plan. He only had two more days to enact it though. His head now resting on Kokichi’s lap Shuichi popped a potato chip into his mouth as Kokichi held the controller as they replayed danganronpa together. “We should talk to Celestia” Shuichi glanced up at Kokichi while waiting for his response “I thought you’d want to talk to Kyoko” Waving his hand dismissively “nah Celestia is going to die next chapter and I want to hear her Russian roulette story” Kokichi couldn’t help but laugh a bit as he talked to Celestia.</p>
<p>Halfway through the conversation, Shuichi saw someone was trying to call him. Slightly annoyed to get out of his comfy position. His heart stopped when he realized who it was. Snatching his phone up and running into the hall he answered it with his real voice. It seemed almost weird to talk like that now “Hello mother- “He didn’t think much of it until “We have good news sweetheart! We got a photoshoot tomorrow morning in that dastardly little city you live in, so we are coming a day early!” Shuichi clenched his fist as he forced a smile “That is great, I am excited to see you…” There was a huff on the other side of the phone as his mother responded “You need more excitement in your voice, did your acting classes not pay off? You are our son after all, maybe leaving you with your tacky uncle did much worse than we intended…. That’s all. Love you sweetheart and don’t screw anything up” once he heard her snappy voice hang up the phone he fell onto his knees as Kokichi poked his head out of Shuichi’s room to check on him. It didn’t matter much anymore everything was so hazy the rest of the day was a blur. Before he knew it, he was waving goodbye to k before falling into bed. Pulling the wig off and throwing it on his nightstand it all came rushing to him.</p>
<p>He wasn’t excited for tomorrow, he couldn’t do this anymore so he picked up the small piece of paper and dialed the number. “Where do you want to meet?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>My hiatus is over! sorry about disappearing stuff happened but I will be back to constant updates. Also sorry for the shorter chapter the plot will be picking up during the next</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. A pinch of salt</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ready to confront his terrorizers he makes a new friend and learns his current have his back.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kaede tapped her foot on the ground letting out a huff as she decided to suck in her pride. She was waiting outside Kaito’s first class, the moment he stepped out she grabbed him by his arm and started pulling him away. Mostly out of surprise and fear of what Kaede might do Kaito followed without question. He almost ran into her when she came to an abrupt stop jabbing her finger into his chest. “You better fess up, what did you do to Shuichi? She has been gone since yesterday morning!” Kaede practically shrieked that last part as Kaito backed up. “Hey! Don’t ask me I don’t know shit. You should ask that Ouma kid, he seems close to Shuichi.” Kaede puffed her cheeks out as she stomped her foot on the ground. It took a bit of consideration before she spat “fine, but you’re coming with me. I don’t trust you.” Kaito shrugged and nodded. Might as well, he didn’t care too much about class and with Shuichi missing he could at least do a bit to help her.</p><p>-------</p><p>“Smile for the camera dear!” The shrill voice shot through as Shuichi tilted his head giving a picture-perfect smile. He felt uncomfortable, not just because of the camera in his face but also the fact he didn’t feel comfortable in his normal clothes. He felt on edge like he was going to get caught any moment. At least he got excused from school today. “Ah he’s growing up so fast honey!” His father lowered his camera as he walked over to his wife. “He even got a job and got nothing but A’s this year!” His mother huffed as she crossed her arms “It would be better if he weren’t so obsessed with that…game. Shuichi sweetheart you should join a sport and- “She leaned over and removed his hat. Trying to flatten his hair. “Ugh…we need to do something about his appearance, his hair is always a mess, and his face is too feminine- “She squished his cheeks and removed her hand “You should take up singing, you could make it big in the industry! The girls will swoon over you!” Shuichi looked down as he mumbled “I already know what I want to be-“His mother rolled her eyes as she snapped “Don’t mumble!” Shuichi flinched but mustered up the confidence as he stood up straight saying clearly “I said, I already know what I want to be. I want to be a detect-“Before he could even finish he felt his face start to sting.</p><p> </p><p> <br/>He reached up to his cheek as his father quickly looked away. He was always spineless. “Now sweetheart, what do you want to enroll in this year” Shuichi felt tears sting his eyes but managed to hold them in. “I would appreciate singing lessons mother-“A smirk came across her red painted lips “Good, you’re such an obedient boy.”</p><p>-----</p><p>“so you haven’t seen Shuichi either?” Kaede let out a sigh. By now she was followed by Kaito, Kokichi, Keebo, and she was now talking to Tenko, Kiyo, and Angie. “Don’t worry Kaede, Shuichi is the same age as us. She might have skipped school” Kaede hung her head low as Angie gently pat her back. “I-it’s not that, it’s just that the group that was terrorizing her yesterday isn’t here either-“Kokichi looked around for a moment as his eyes widened. “K-k-kaede…” Kaede looked over at Kokichi and raised an eyebrow. “yesterday at her house…I found a paper in her pocket. It was a phone number and it said something like I know your secret pervert-“He gulped as he looked between the group “do you think it was from them?”</p><p>The group went quiet. The sound of everyone else chatting through the lunchroom started to drown out. “Gah! If any of those degenerates harm her Tenko is going to kick their sorry asses into the sun!” Korekiyo let out a laugh as he questioned “Didn’t Himiko request you not to get into any more fights?” Tenko gritted her teeth and looked away. “Himiko?” Kaede seemed even more confused now. Kokichi popped in “She goes to the same school as Rantaro and Gonta. Also, she is Tenko’s girlfriend” Kaede gave a small nod before an idea popped into her mind. “Rantaro! I got to call him!” Kaito looked completely lost as Kaede pulled out her phone. “I’m going to see if he has seen her either. I know they work at the same café” Keebo gave a small nod as Kaede walked away.</p><p>It went silent again. The awkward silence ended by Keebo letting out a squeal, as Miu wrapped her arms around them. Purposefully pushing her boobs into their face. “Oh, great the cum dumpster is here” Kokichi rolled his eyes only to let out a yelp as Kaito smacked him on the back of the head. “Hey Miu, what are you doing here? Aren’t you usually in the gym closet at this time?” Miu let go of Keebo sitting next to them as she unwrapped two lunches. “You mean fuckin the losers? Hell yeah I am…They aren’t here today so it was the perfect day to brainstorm with this hot piece of ass” She caressed Keebo’s face as they quickly responded with “Miu that type of comment is not appropriate in this-“Before they could finish Miu shoved a piece of food into their mouth. Giggling like a schoolgirl as she did. “They said they had some appointment with another chick. I think it was that flat boobed bitch from yesterday bu- “everyone quickly turned around once they heard a crash coming from next to them. Kaede now had tears in her eyes as her phone shattered. “I can’t believe they’d take it this far-“Her cheerful voice now sounded completely monotone. “Kaito you know where they hangout right?” She crouched down and picked up her now shattered phone. “We’re going to storm their house and get Shuichi back.”</p><p>-          - -<br/>By some luck, Shuichi managed to break away from his parents for the rest of the day. Coming out of the bathroom with his usual look, he smiled a bit feeling more confident now that he was dressed how he wanted. One pest taken care of, time to head off to his next stop. His legs felt like they were led as he stepped up the stairs to the location given to him. It looked like just a normal house. So, taking a deep breath he knocked, he was ready for anything already having prepared for the worst.</p><p>A boy his age opened the door, taking a quick glance before letting Shuichi in. Sliding off his shoes once he entered, Shuichi was quickly led to a basement…. great. He felt like this wasn’t going to end well and he still had work later. He was instructed to sit down on a couch, hearing snickering as he did. His eyes widened a bit as a video camera was placed right in front of him and his hat snatched from his head. He didn’t want this…concern was clear on his face as he looked up at the guy behind the camera, immediately recognizing him as the guy who punched his face. “What do you want from me?” Shuichi tried to speak clearly but his voice still cracked from fear. A smirk came across the guy's face as the camera turned on “Simple, we want you to make us a little video. A pervert like you should be able to do it don’t you agree?”</p><p>Shuichi shook his head as he started to stand up, the man behind him forcefully pushing him back into the couch. Another girl sat next to him, she looked familiar. Leaning in closer she whispered “You’re smart, they haven’t even noticed what is in your skirt” Shuichi held his breath as he felt her gently take his shoulder “Kaito called for me to get you out of this. The dope owes me big time, for now trust me” Shuichi felt tears come to his eyes as he was pushed down onto the couch by the girl with brown twin tails. “You promise me that you’ll leave us both alone if we do this?” The guy behind the couch stepped closer to the two “Of course man, the best student in the region along with the amazing actor Saihara fooling around. We’ll have material for days” the guy behind the camera laughed “Of course, my friend here is going to join you two. Saihara here has a nasty secret and we want to see how you take it Ms. Harukawa”</p><p>Shuichi let out a whimper as Maiki’s grip tightened on his wrists. She was clearly pissed but before he knew it their lips connected, and he felt a tap on his wrist as he noticed the guy coming closer to them. One tap, two taps, and Maki quickly rolled off of Shuichi as she mumbled “Now!” Causing Shuichi to stab his box cutter up at the man now above him. His eyes widened as he saw blood drip down his hands and onto his face. Removing the box cutter, he quickly got up as he saw the guy he just stabbed hold onto his bleeding chest. Maki, who had tied up the other guy, now shoved the camera into her shirt. “I’m taking this, no objections. I know how to destroy it.” Shuichi gave a small nod as his bloodied hands started shaking a smile coming onto his face. He didn’t know if he wanted to cry or if he wanted to be happy this was happening.<br/>The moment maki yelled “now GO!” Shuichi stumbled a bit as he ran up the stairs. Sliding into a wall only to get back up again. His stockings were slick on the wood of the house so he had trouble staying on his feet. He heard a few other people scream out to him, but he didn’t stop to see what they wanted. That was until he slid into someone else, he raised the box cutter up before realizing it was Kaede who he ran into. Tears finally fell from his eyes as he dropped to his knees. His legs are too weak to continue. He felt Kaito pick him up, but he was trembling too much to protest. Maki now stepped out to see Kaede, Kaito, and Kokichi. “Kokichi you’re here too?” She tilted her head a bit as the two ran in to hug each other. “Nice seeing you stupid head!” Maki puffed out her cheeks as she claimed “Hey we both know I had to take up my job so I could help everyone” Kaito was still calming Shuichi down as the two had a small reunion. Kaede leaned over to Shuichi “Saihara-chan you’re covered in blood what happened.” Shuichi slid the box cutters blade back in as he let out a shaky “I-I don’t know-“Maki went back to being serious as she stated “Kaito called me, you should have told me about this sooner you knew I’d be perfect for this job.”</p><p>Kaito rolled his eyes as he quickly shot back “You know I don’t want to call you for these sorts of things. You're busy anyways” Maki huffed and took Shuichi from Kaito’s arms. Holding him in her own, causing Shuichi to let out a squeak of surprise. “If it wasn’t for me, he’d be fighting off two people by himself” Shuichi’s face went pale as maki called him a guy. The room went quiet for a bit as everyone tried to process what maki just said. Before they could fully take it in, Shuichi looked back down at his hands and quickly got out of Maki’s arms. He ran over to the room next to them and promptly vomited. The smell of blood became too much. He felt a bit better when he saw Kaede crouch down next to him, rubbing his back sweetly.</p><p>” Hey, it’s okay Saihara, we’ll get the police here and maki has the video” Shuichi stopped for a moment realizing that is why maki kept the tape. To make sure they had evidence for themselves that it was self-defense. Kaede wrapped her arms around Shuichi causing Shuichi to smile a bit. Wiping his mouth on his sleeve before hugging Kaede back. She was the nicest friend he’s ever had, it made him feel a bit guilty, but he still wanted to be thankful.</p><p>-          - -<br/>Before long he found himself in the back seat of Keebo’s car. Maki and Kaito left to go to the police, Kokichi left to run some errand as Kaede requested. Leaving Kaede, Shuichi, Keebo, and Miu in the car. Miu was apparently how they even knew to go there. Shuichi knew he’d have to thank everyone later but for now he was curled up in a ball as his head rested on Kaede’s lap. He pulled out his phone flipping it open to check the time. Quickly lifting his head up as he blurted “shit! My shift starts in an hour!” Kaede squeaked as she heard Shuichi curse. She wasn’t sure he was capable of it.</p><p>Shuichi quickly bowed her head as he muttered “sorry sorry” before pulling out his bag only to see blood was still on his hands. Kaede leaned over and quietly said “We can ask Keebo to drop you off at your house so you ca-“Shuichi shook his head with a clearly scared “no!” stopping himself from crying as he explained “M-my parents are home and I don’t want them to see me like this-“ Vomit covered, bloodied was one thing, but also dressing like a girl was another. He also knew his mother would not accept of his friends but before he could say more, aede popped in. “We need to bring you home, they’re your parents they can’t be mad at you for this. I’ll call Rantaro to explain the situation and why you can’t go in just let me take you home- “Shuichi shook his head as he gripped onto kaede’s shirt “n-no…please don’t take me home.” Her eyes widened a bit as she glanced around. Her gut wanted her to tell Shuichi’s parents about what happened. They can’t be that bad if they raised such a kind and polite girl. Though she looked down to see how badly Shuichi was shaking.</p><p>She took his hands and gave a soft smile “Okay, I won’t. Keebo just drop us both off at my house please” Keebo gave a thumbs up as Miu leaned over the seats to talk to both Shuichi and Kaede. “Jeeze you guys had a kinky fucking time. Who would have guessed they would have set up an orgy without me” Shuichi made an odd face at Miu’s words. Causing Miu to quickly come back with “w-why aren’t you laughing. I thought it would be funny” Kaede rolled her eyes as she said “Miu do you ever think with your brain and not your tits?” Miu let out a cackle as she claimed “I’d usually be mad but your friend here is so fucken flat I mean-“She reached over to grab Shuichi’s chest causing Keebo to yell “Miu do not touch anyone in my car! So, help me if you do, I am changing all your alarms to be at random times!” Miu’s face went bright red as she sat back down. Keebo reached over and buckled her in like some sort of mom “And wear your seatbelt, what if we get into a crash?” Miu rolled her eyes with a huff as they pulled up to what Shuichi assumed was Kaede’s house. Kaede cheerfully called out “See you later guys!” as she waved goodbye to Keebo and Miu. Pulling Shuichi out of the car with her.</p><p>“My parents aren’t home until later today, but they won’t mind me having a friend over. Let’s go get you cleaned up” Shuichi gave a small nod as he ran his free hand through his wig. These knots were going to be a pain to get out. Kaede led him through her house and stopped once they got to a pink room with a piano in it. “I have my own bathroom so you can use it, just-“She looked over Shuichi for a moment “We can ask the police if they can retrieve your hat and shoes i-“ She soon found herself hugging Shuichi tightly “I’m so sorry Saihara, I-I just want to help more. Y-you’re my friend and i-I” Shuichi looked startled when she started sobbing. He wrapped his arms around Kaede as he gently ran his hand through her hair “A-akamatsu. It’s okay it’s over and you’re helping me now” Kaede buried her face into Shuichi’s shirt as she sniffled a small “mhm-“Shuichi removed himself from Kaede and gave a small smile. “I’m going to take a shower um…I’m sorry for getting you all gross-“Kaede whipped her face and shook her head “n-no I’m the one who was hugging onto you. Here’s your bag” Shuichi looked down and took it “Thanks…. Thank you for everything Kaede” He brought her into one last hug before rushing over to the bathroom, leaving Kaede to do her own thing.</p><p>-          -</p><p> </p><p>Shuichi looked down at his ruined clothes as he folded them up next to the sink. Everything in Kaede’s house was so aesthetically pleasing, it made him a bit jealous though he couldn’t imagine his room without the danganronpa merchandise.  He looked back down at his hand with a sigh. He always wondered what it would be like to stab someone but when it really happened, he felt disgusted with himself. Even if it was in self-defense. He squeezed his hand as he felt his nails dig into his skin, only stopping once he realized he didn’t want the blood to mix. He finished sliding off his underwear when he heard a knock on the door. Panicked, he quickly called out “y-yeah?” As he hastily threw on his wig and towel. Kaede’s voice spoke out as she called “Don’t worry I’m not going to ask to join you.” A quiet laugh could be heard as she explained “I just called Rantaro and talked to Tsumugi, she said you have the day off just don’t skip the weekends. Also…” Her voice trailed off for a moment causing Shuichi to open the door just a crack so he could peak his head out. Kaede seemed a bit surprised but didn’t dwell on it. “I-um… you only have your work clothes in there right. You should call your parents to see if you can stay over and…we can have a sleepover. Just as girls.” She gave a sweet smile as she mentioned “I’m not much taller than you, so you should be able to fit into my clothes. I mean you have a tall and slim figure; you know the type that makes you look like a model. So, everything will be a bit baggy” Shuichi’s face went a bit red but he gave a small smile back. “Thanks, I’ll talk to them when I get out.” Kaede gave a small giggle and a wave as Shuichi closed the door.</p><p>-          -   -<br/>He never realized how hard it would be to scrub off the smell of blood until that day. He always figured it was some trope in mafia fanfictions, but he still felt gross even after it seemed to be clean. He let out a sigh and stepped out of the shower not wanting to waste all of Kaede’s water. He was clean enough. He started humming as he wrapped the towel around him, looking in the foggy mirror to see well. Normal him. Everyday it was seeming more and more unnatural, he preferred dressing up and this just made him feel unconfident and scared.</p><p>He slid down on the sink as he picked up his phone. Flipping it open as he swallowed calling his mother. “Aren’t you at work?” Her harsh tone made Shuichi flinch but his voice didn’t waver as he said. “Remember how you signed me up for drama? I got a part along with one of my school friends” That technically wasn’t wrong, but it wasn’t for a show or anything yet. “They stopped by the café and asked if we can practice tonight. I wanted to make sure everything was free so I could spend the night at their house.” The phone went silent for a while, he knew this trick all too well. It just depended on who cracked first. Luckily, his mother gave in pretty fast “Fine, don’t miss dinner tomorrow. We’re only in this town until Monday. Consider this your free night. Do whatever you want, it’s not like I really care about what you do. Your father is the one who really wants to see you. Just don’t get some girl pregnant or something don’t call me for this again. Mommy loves you, mwah” With that she hung up the phone leaving Shuichi to himself.</p><p>He looked around for a moment before realizing his clothes were gone and a clean pair was in his place. He picked them up realizing they were so soft and not Kaede’s style? He slid them on and looked at himself in the mirror, he was a bit uncomfortable about wearing shorts but they at least they covered up enough. He dyed his hair with a blow-dryer he found on the shelf. Not caring about how his hair fluffed up, he was just going to cover it with a wig anyways. After he was passable, he picked up his bag and stepped out of the bathroom to see Kaede on her bed reading a magazine. Her eyes lit up when she saw Shuichi “You look so cute! I knew Maki’s clothes would suit you!” that explained a lot. “a-ah if it's maki’s then shou- “Kaede shook her head and stood up again “No it’s not hers, she got it for you. You where in the shower for a while but she stopped by to inform me about what is going on and she brought some stuff with her.” Kaede wrapped her arms around Shuichi as she whined “she is so cool I can’t believe she’s my friend. Too bad she had to go do something with Kaito, I offered her to stay with us”</p><p>Shuichi’s face went a bit red as he pointed to his phone “a-ah well I can stay the night so-“Kaeade’s smile came back as she spun in a circle. “I’m so happy, we can</p><p> </p><p>do so much! Shuichi do you know what this means?” Shuichi shook his head at Kaede’s question. “It means you’re the first person I’ll ever have a sleepover with!” Shuichi’s eyes widened as he stuttered out “r-really?” Kaede gave a nod and a smile. “Make yourself at home I’m going to go get some stuff.”</p><p>-          -  -<br/>Shuichi was hugging onto a giant stuffed cat Kaede had as she explained why she didn’t like bicycles. The night was surprisingly normal, having both of them giggle and talk like they were just normal girls. Kaede popped another chip into her mouth as she asked “Say Saihara, has anyone caught your eye?” Shuichi’s face went bright red as he gasped “W-why do you ask that?” Kaede’s eyes light up as she leaned over “it’s Kokichi isn’t it. It’s either Kokichi or that goob Kaito. Though don’t think I haven’t caught you staring at me either!” Shuichi huffed and turned his head as Kaede said that last sentence. Kaede leaned on Shuichi as she pushed on “so who is it! Who is it!” Shuichi gently pushed Kaede’s face away as he mumbled “I-it’s nobody. It’s not like anyone would like me anyways”.</p><p>Kaede rolled her eyes “Don’t think like that, I think you’re plenty sexy. Plus, everyone likes you!” Shuichi ignored that first comment as he asked, “what do you mean?” Kaede slid onto Shuichi’s lap as she explained “Well you’re really sweet, that is why we all got worried when you didn’t go to school for two days. Plus, you were hanging out with Kaito’s old group, so we knew it was trouble” Shuichi’s eyes widened a bit “Kaito, no way he was part of them” Kaede started fidgeting a bit as she explained “Kaito was a huge delinquent until maki came. Something set him off causing him to join the wrong group of people. He even sent someone to the hospital once- “Shuichi couldn’t believe it, Kaito had been nothing but sweet and caring. “It’s why I don’t want him around you, he's no good” Shuichi placed a hand on Kaede’s lips with a soft smile “I understand but, I think I got it. He’s nothing but nice to me. I want to be his friend” Kaede looked away for a moment before saying “right, but if he lays a hand on you Tenko and maki will kick his ass!” Shuichi let out a quiet giggle at Kaede’s threat. He was happy that even after today he had such good friends to rely on.</p><p>-          - -<br/>They stayed up pretty late, Kaede even played him her favorite piano song. When it came to sleeping, he at first felt a bit awkward sleeping with Kaede but soon found it comforting. He laid in bed for a while with Kaede next to him. Just staring at the ceiling and before he knew it, he was crying again. He felt a hand brush his cheek and Kaede’s soft smile blocked out the ceiling. “Hey…we’ll get it taken care of okay? Just try and sleep tonight. I’m here to make sure nothing bad happens to you, you can trust me.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I told you guys the next chapter was going to pick up plot and I wrote over 4000 words wtf. That is the longest chapter ever but also this story is just going to keep getting more wild. Stay tuned.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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